Robotics

Design and simulate a robot.
Prototype and test algorithms.
Connect to robot platforms or peripherals.

Three of the most critical questions that robotics engineers and scientists need to answer are:

How do I design and simulate a robot?
How do I prototype and test algorithms for my robot?
How do I connect to my robot platforms and peripherals?

MATLAB^® and Simulink^® can help answer these questions, and accelerate and streamline the design, prototyping, and verification of robotics applications.

Try MATLAB and ROS Interface

Read data from ROS nodes into MATLAB for visualization and algorithms prototyping. Learn about the MATLAB and ROS interface in Robotics System Toolbox.

Designing and Simulating Robotics Systems

Your current robotics design project may require you to prototype a robot that has wheels, arms, and sensors. It may need to navigate in a building, pick and place objects, or perform other maneuvers. You may know the basics of kinematics, dynamics, servo, stepper motors, or CAD tools. Simulink can help convert your ideas and concepts into a functional robot design.

6 Videos

How a Differential Equation Becomes a Robot

Define rigid bodies and assemble them to model a scissor mechanism. Reuse mechanism components to model a four-stage scissor lift.

7:47

Modeling a Scissor Jack

Computing Actuator Torques Using Inverse Dynamics

3 Videos

Peter Corke on Robotics System Toolbox

Explore Products for Designing and Simulating Robotics Systems

Prototyping Robotics Algorithms

Algorithms enable robots to perform a wide variety of operations and serve in a variety of applications and environments. Designing and prototyping a complex robotics algorithm can be a challenging and time-consuming task. MATLAB and Simulink enable you to quickly prototype robotics algorithms using behavioral simulations or low-cost hardware accessories. For example, you can design collision avoidance algorithms with supervisory control in a 3D environment, test vision-based object detection and tracking algorithms with low-cost USB cameras, or prototype motor control algorithms with Arduino.

Vision-based Abandoned Object Detection

Explore camera calibration capabilities in MATLAB . Calibrate a camera using the camera calibrator app, perform image undistortion, and measure the actual size of an object using a calibrated camera.

4:56

Camera Calibration with MATLAB

Lane Departure Warning System

Motor Control with Arduino

Develop and simulate a collision avoidance algorithm with the CAD model of an Adept mobile robot in Simulink. Then you can seamlessly test the algorithm on the real robot by using the same Simulink model without re-implementing the algorithm.

45:02

Mobile Robot Simulation for Collision Avoidance with Simulink

Path Planning in Environments of Different Complexity

Path Following for a Differential Drive Robot

Obstacle Avoidance Using TurtleBot

Explore Products for Prototyping Robotics Algorithms

Connecting to Robot Platforms and Peripherals

Connection, communication, and control are three critical aspects of robotics. Direct connection with your robot platform and the ability to communicate with its peripherals enable engineers to quickly test and validate algorithms or make design changes. MATLAB provides several different options for you to connect to, communicate with, and control your robot and peripherals. You can directly communicate from MATLAB with robots running ROS, robots equipped with low-cost hardware such as Raspberry Pi and Arduino, or other popular research robot platforms.